July 13th, 9am-4pm at Thames Grove Conservation Area. BBQ, Prizes and fun for the whole family. Kayaks $15 and canoes $25

The next phase of upgrades to Jackson Park will include repaving and expanding the main parking lot, from 45 spaces to nearly 100.

The work will begin on July 2 and take until October to complete. Along with the paving, new sanitary, storm and water supply services are also being added.  

The upgrades will mean that access to the main parking lot off Tecumseh Road will be closed, but use of the park by pedestrians will not be affected. The southeast parking lot off McDougall Street will be unaffected by the construction and will remain open throughout.

Along with the parking lot and infrastructure improvements, construction crews are also replacing the washrooms located along the entrance to the Queen Elizabeth II Sunken Gardens.

The construction of the washroom building will be completed by mid August.

To see the entire area being worked on, watch the video, Jackson Park Improvements (YouTube) that we released back in May.

The second season of City of Windsor operated boat tours to Peche Island will begin Wednesday, July 3, 2019. The tours will run from July 3 to approximately October 9, 2019, and the cost is $7.50 per seat (2 years old and under are free). The tours will operate Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. The first shuttle will depart Lakeview Park Marina at 10:00 a.m. and will continue every hour on the hour until the last departure from the marina at 2:00 p.m.

Passengers can return from the island on the half hour with the last shuttle returning from Peche Island at 3:30 p.m. A maximum of six passengers can be on board each shuttle—to or from the island (excluding the captain). No more than 12 passengers will be booked for each hourly departure time.

Booking a Tour:

Reservations are highly recommended. From June 28 to July 3 only, call 519-948-3383 to book your seats.  After July 3,tours are to be booked by calling 519-253-2300. Downloadable waivers and videos of Peche Island, including, safety, island improvements, natural features and more can be found on the Peche Island page of the City of Windsor website.

Peche Island is an 86-acre island located on the Detroit River between Windsor and Detroit that was purchased by Hiram Walker in 1883. Walker used the island for a summer place, and his buildings included a stable, large home, greenhouse, and icehouse. The property was sold in 1907 and then the City of Windsor acquired the land from the Province of Ontario in 1999.  It is now a naturalized park with walking trails.

Getting checked for colon cancer just got easier with the introduction of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in Ontario. The free test is now available to eligible people in Ontario through Cancer Care Ontario’s organized colon cancer screening program, ColonCancerCheck.

Getting checked for colon cancer just got easier with the introduction of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in Ontario. The free test is now available to eligible people in Ontario through Cancer Care Ontario’s organized colon cancer screening program, ColonCancerCheck.

FIT is a simple, safe and accurate at-home test that checks stool for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by colon cancer and/or pre-cancerous polyps (growths in the colon or rectum) that can turn into cancer over time. The FIT is for men and women ages 50 - 74 who have no symptoms and no family history of colorectal cancer. The test is to be completed every two years.

FIT replaces the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) that required patients to collect stool samples on three separate days and avoid certain foods and medications before the test.

• The new test has many advantages:
•  FIT is better at detecting colon cancer and pre-cancerous polyps;
•  FIT is more user-friendly because it includes an easy-to-use collection device;
•  FIT requires only one stool sample; and
• When completing FIT, there are no medication or dietary restrictions (including vitamin C).

“We hope that this easy-to-do test will lead to more people being screened,” says Dr. Tamara Siddall, Erie St. Clair Regional Primary Care Lead. “Getting screened increases the chance of finding colorectal cancer early, when it is smaller and easier to treat. When caught early, nine out of 10 people can be cured.” In Ontario, Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths. It is estimated that in 2018, about 11,595 people in Ontario were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 3,359 people in Ontario died from the disease. JEV Marketing & Communications is helping to promote the new screening test locally to encourage eligible individuals to be screened. Gasper Faraci, who is President of the company and a colorectal cancer survivor, created a campaign for the Erie St. Clair Regional Cancer Program free of charge. “I know firsthand how important early detection is when dealing with a cancer diagnosis. It is my hope that the awareness generated by this campaign will encourage more people to get screened,” says Faraci.

The marketing campaign featuring “Sam the Poop Emoji” goes step-by-step through the easy-to-conduct test and encourages eligible people to get screened. WATCH: FIT test promotional video produced by JEV Marketing & Communications. To find out if you are eligible for the FIT, speak to your primary care provider or call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-828-9213. For more information on colon cancer screening in Ontario, visit Cancer Care Ontario - Screening for Colorectal Cancer.